Kouga, What's Wrong With Me?
by Luna11490
Summary: one day Kouga discovers an injured girl in the woods who is avoiding Kagura. She finds out Kouga & his tribe r more help than sh thinks. new title w next chptr; goin 2 be: Kouga's Ticket to Naraku. a little kagXinu, sngXmir, kguraXsessh, kagXkoug
1. Prologue

Prologue I don't own anybody! plz don't sue me! except sakira

It was a clear, starry night sky. Sango was inside an abandoned shelter lying on a pile of hay, feeling kniving pain in her stomach as though she were about to die on the spot. Miroku was outside, worried to death. _What if she dies after giving birth?_ He had heard of mothers dying in childbirth in many places. He just had to keep thinking to himself,_ At least Kagome's in there to help her out. But what if there's something wrong that she can't catch? Dear Sango, I do hope you're all right._

Kagome was stressed beyond control. Inuyasha was severely injured from a battle with two demons and not to mention Kagura, and her best friend was just about to have a baby. She kept scurrying from room to room tending to both. But noe that Inuyasha was safe and sound asleep, it was time for Sango.

Panting, she hurried to her friend's wails and her furious pleas for the pain to end. Kirara was mewing constantly, worried sick for her companion.

"Sango, you can do it! Push!" Kagome yelled over the cries of agony.

"AAAUGH! AAAUGH! KAGOME, I CAN'T! JUST KILL ME NOW!"

"No, Sango, just push with everything you've got and it'll all be over soon!"

Outside, Shippo was keeping Miroku company. His monk friend was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white. _Sango's voice could probably be heard miles away, _the young fox demon thought. He looked back over at Miroku.

"I hope Sango will be okay," he said.

Miroku said nothing. He looked as though he were fighting back tears. Then he froze. Shippo heard it, too. Among the agonizing wails and the encouraging shrieks came a new sound. A crying baby.

The girls' yells ceased, and Kagome opened the door to allow the boys in. Sango was in a sitting position, holding a bundle of blankets and smiling down at it. She looked up at her husband, tears flowing freely down her pale cheeks.

"Our daughter, Miroku. Little Sakira." She looked back down at her baby as the father knelt down besider her.

"Sakira," he said. "I like it." He pulled out a locket that Kagome gave the two of them months back. He opened it up to reveal a smiling picture of his wife on the left side and himself on the right. He snapped it shut and, checking Sango for an affirmative glance, slipped the chain over his baby daughter's head.

Sakira then began flailing her arms about. Her father couldn't help but notice a cloth on her right hand, but not on her left.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing at the cloth.

Sango suddenly had a defeated look in her eyes. "Miroku…that's…" she sighed. "Her wind tunnel."

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A few minutes later

Suddenly Kagome felt something nearby…a demonic aura. "Oh no, not here, not now," she said. It was all she could do to keep from hyperventilating. " You guys feel that?"

The new parents nodded, both of them, like their future friend, had looks of utter fear in their eyes. All wondering the same thing, _What will we do now?_

Kagome, Kirara, and Shippo ran outside to investigate. There stood Kagura, grinning maliciously.

"Well, well, if it isn't Kagome. I thought I saw a wench somewhere around here. And if my ears didn't deceive me, there's a third little girl joining your pathetic little gang. Too bad she won't be here for long." She smirked.

_Oh, no! She knows about Sakira! And I don't have my bow and arrows with me!_ Kagome thought, mentally panicking.

"Hey, Kagura!" a familiar voice called. Kagome turned around. Inuyasha was limping out to fight. _No, Inuyasha. You're too weak to battle_. Obviously Kagura noticed this, for she was just about to attack.

"Dance of the Dragons!" she exclaimed. With a wave of her fan, five cyclones came out of nowhere and charged at the group. Kirara jumped to the occasion magnificently. She transformed and removed Kagome and Shippo from their spots just in time, however Inuyasha was out of reach and took a direct hit from one of the cyclones. The impact sent him flying back, where he crashed against a rock and hit his head. He slid down and faintly called for Kagome before he crumpled at the bottom and lay motionless.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed.

Kagura cackled. She raised her arm and was just about to finish him off when she noticed something happening behind the small shelter.

The monk, the warrior, and an apparently fragile bundle of blankets, supposedly the newborn, were attempting an escape on a giant brightly colored ball with big eyes.

"I don't _think_ so, Dance of the Blades!" the wind sorceress yelled. One of the rings got the ball, and another got the monk. The whole party came tumbling down to the ground. _Now's my chance,_ Kagura thought.

She pulled the feather out of her hair and rode it over to the falling family. "Hello, nice of you to _drop_ by," she chuckled at her little joke. She grabbed hold of the mother with one hand, slammed her in the head with the other, knocking her into a dazed state. She fell, letting go of the baby.

Miroku gazed with horror from his spot on the ground. Sango was falling, and he had to catch her. He ran over and she landed safe in his arms. She moaned, rubbed her head, and the previous event sank in. She gasped and jumped down from safety and looked up at the sky.

"Thank you for the gift. Naraku and I will treasure her with all our lives, knowing that not only do we have the brother, we also have his niece. How lovely." And with that she whisked off into the night.

"NOOOO! YOU GIVE HER BACK! GIVE HER BACK RIGHT NOW!" Sango wailed in agony as if she were having another child. She then fell to her knees, a waterfall of tears pouring down her cheeks, sobbing uncontrollably. Miroku sank with her, tears in his eyes as well, and attempting to comfort her but to no effect. Sango turned around and collapsed into his arms, soaking his clothes. She didn't want to leave his embrace. She wanted to stay like this forever, knowing that if he was always having his arms right there, he wouldn't leave or be taken away. She lost her father, her brother, and now her daughter, to Naraku.

"SAKIRA!!!" she screamed after the kidnapper.

"Miroku, promise me you won't ever leave my sight." He looked at her and smiled his warm, sad smile.

"Sango," he said. "I'll always be right here." And he hugged her even more tightly.

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Meanwhile

Kagura was flying off to Naraku's castle. To pass the time, she was examining the child's features. She noticed a cloth on her right hand. Curious, she took it off.

All of a sudden a vast wind started sucking her toward the hand. Hastily, she put two and two together and put the cloth back on the hand. _Of course. The monk's wind tunnel. Strange that it was passed down. This must be the work of Naraku. What's this?_

She noticed a gold chain around Sakira's---or whoever---neck. Kagura pulled it out from under the blanket. _A gold heart that apparently can be opened. _She stuck a fingernail through a crack on one side and it popped open. Inside was a picture of the couple she just left behind. The mother on the left, and the father on the right. _How did she get this?_ _Oh, well. Dispose of it now and we'll tell her that her parents gave her away if she ever asks._

She slipped the chain up over her chin, but then it turned a bright blue and wouldn't go any further up her head. Kagura tugged with all her might but it wouldn't budge. She sighed and took her hand off for a little while. Then she tried again. This time it didn't go past the baby's chin. She tried this again and again, to the point when eventually it wouldn't even move unless the natural wind blew on it.

Kagura pursed her lips._ If it's like this now, it'll be like this forever. Eventually this girl will figure out a way to get back to her parents. With a spell like this there's no doubt she'll return to her parents someday. She'll figure out who they are, how she was separated, and will avenge Naraku for it all. We won't have her forever. It'll only be worse if she figures out we killed them if we would in the future._

She looked from the stars back down to the baby, considering all of her thoughts. _Naraku's not going to like this._

**A/N: there will be an update. so plz R&R tell me wat ya think! so far...**


	2. Escape from Naraku

**A/N: I chose Kouga for this story b/c he is so flippin AWESOME! Now on w/ the story.**

10 years later…

Sakira sat on the grass prodding a worm with a stick. It was so boring and so depressing all the time living in Naraku's castle. She had tried to escape loads of times, but he was always out in the woods doing something with some villagers that he caught her every time she tried. He was obsessed with some stupid jewel and she never understood why. And if he wasn't out in the woods, he was out in the garden plotting his next move on some half-demon. Inu-something. _I don't get it. Why is this guy such a big deal? What has _he_ ever done to Naraku? I wonder if my parents have anything to do with this. Whoever this dog demon is, I want to know if he knows Mom and Dad._

For as long as she could remember, Sakira had been living with Naraku. For as long as she could remember, she had been dreaming of someday meeting back with the two people she really belonged to. All she had as evidence of their existence was a gold chain with a heart at the end. If you opened this heart up it had a picture of her mother on the left, and her father on the right. She didn't know in her mind if they were even alive, but her heart could feel that they were out there, somewhere, waiting to see their daughter run into their arms after years of separation. Naraku told her that they left her out in the woods one night after a huge battle. That he found her and took her in. It sounded almost true at first, but as she grew up, she silently grew less and less convinced to a point now that she didn't even believe it at all.

She lay down flat, trying to think of something else to do. When nothing came to mind, she decided to go inside. She got up and reached for the door, but stopped. Voices. Kagura was back from a mission. Instead of going in, Sakira would eavesdrop and try to know a little of what was going on. She crouched to prevent being spotted and pressed her to the door.

"…failed to kill them yet again," Naraku said.

"They still haven't forgotten that day. If I had left them unscathed then I guarantee you they'd have followed me here and taken _her_," came Kagura's voice.

"Yes, I must say I'm quite surprised it's taken them this long to hunt for the web."

_Web? _Sakira wondered.

"Naraku, you keep talking like this and I won't understand even your instructions anymore."

"Kagura, this is all a...spider's trap, if you will. Little Sakira was the web that I spun. I made. When you took her on that fateful day, you were spinning the web that I was going to settle in to wait for the victim. When you brought the girl here, the web was complete. Now all I had to do was wait for the fly, her parents, to arrive. When they would have they would stick to the web with no escape. And once a fly is trapped in a spider's web, it is killed shortly thereafter."

Sakira stumbled back, panting. She heard all she needed to hear. Now she know the truth. Naraku had lied to her, just as she had suspected. She wasn't found, she was _kidnapped_. _That's it. I'm through with this. I'm tired of you, Naraku. Sick. And. Tired of your oblivion to me and your cruel ways._

Now she had something to do: plot a way to escape from this heinous place. The best time to do it she never thought much of until now. _Do it at night._ All the other times she was too afraid to go at night. Now she didn't care. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

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Night fell in feudal Japan. The only things that were stirring were the nocturnal creatures…and a ten-year-old girl. Lucky for her Naraku slept in a different room, but that also meant that she couldn't tell if he was awake or not. She didn't worry about grabbing food or money. If she died of starvation, well, at least she would be dying away from Naraku. That was good enough for her. She slid open the door as slowly as possible to prevent any loud and/or sudden noises. She slipped out using as little space as possible between the door and the wall. Same thing with closing the door: slowly and silently.

With that accomplished Sakira tiptoed as quickly and quietly as she could across the garden. She was just about to cross the imaginary property line when she accidentally bumped into a statue. It fell into the waterfall fountain with a loud _splash_.

_Oh crap RUN! _She thought furiously. She sprinted away into the woods, going as fast as her legs would carry her and praying that she wouldn't trip over a root and sprain her ankle.

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Back at the castle, Naraku woke with a start. He thought he heard a splash come from outside. Suspicious, he got up to go check on Sakira. When he got to her room, he found it empty. He thrust out his hive in fury. Out emerged his swarm of poisonous insects. He turned to one of them, pointed at Sakira's bed and said to it, "Find her."

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Sakira stopped running. She had been running for what felt like hours. She paused to take a breather. _I hope Naraku didn't hear the water. Who knows _what_ he'd do to me if he discovered I was gone. _She felt like she'd been running for hours. She must have been miles away…or at least, she hoped she was. Sakira had never done much running in her life. Unless you count running from scary villagers or nearby demons, but she wasn't running very far. Now it was a whole different story.

Sakira decided to walk for a while, but make it fast walking. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between her and Naraku. Panting along, she found that she was now on a bumpier path. She smiled. _Now I'm past his usual path. I'm truly out in the wild now._

Her spirits rose. She began to jog for a little while. _The best way to do this is to keep moving no matter what the pace. Go until I see a village._

When she came out of this reverie she heard running water. A very faint sound but she could have sworn she heard running water. And then a sound that she wished she didn't hear. Her heart stopped. There was a buzzing sound coming from behind her that she knew only too well. _Naraku's poisonous insects. I'm really in for it now. He knows I'm gone_. _Naraku, you bastard._

No time to lose. She made a break for it, running as fast as she could to get away and couldn't help but remember that she forgot to bring a weapon along. Sakira's chest felt like it was about to explode. Her legs were screaming for air. Tears were in her eyes pleading Naraku to call back his bugs even though she knew he couldn't hear her. She could run no longer. She would have to fight. Running wasn't going to help anymore. But what would she use to fight? Oh, that's right. The one weapon she always carried with her whether she wanted to or not.

She halted and turned around to face the swarm. Sakira whipped off the cloth on her right hand and screamed, "WIND TUNNEL!!!"

Sakira knew this wasn't good for her, but right now it was all she could do. This was getting more and more painful. _Just a little more, then I can rest._

Once she saw that they were all inside her, she closed the hole up. This was difficult, for her vision was now blurry. Her head was spinning, and she couldn't move. She felt hot all over. Sakira sensed a demon nearby, but she couldn't do anything about it. She saw a blurred form of a person with long black hair and what looked like fur armor. "Who--" was all she could manage before she blacked out completely and remembered no more.

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**A/N: I know, the beginning's a little boring, but how would u feel if u were stuck w/ the likes of Naraku, who has no intention of caring about u? this chapter is a little short, but others will be longer I PROMISE! plz R&R**

**NEXT CHAPTER\/**

**CH. 2 Enter Kouga, the Wolf Prince_>_ Sakira is rescued by a demon, which is odd because all the demons she knew had one intention: to kill. specifically a half-demon. Apparently this wolf prince knows Naraku's #1 target. Little does she know that Naraku is still after her. And he's got a brand new plot.**


	3. Enter Kouga, the Wolf Prince

"Where…where am I?" Sakira wearily asked to no one in particular.

"Hey, Kouga, she's awake!" a voice exclaimed.

Sakira opened her eyes all the way. She was looking up at a stone ceiling. No doubt a cave. She slowly maneuvered herself into a sitting position as she heard hurried footsteps growing nearer and nearer. Then a new figure knelt down beside her. He looked like the man she saw before she was out.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a handsome and gentle voice.

Sakira gazed at him and replied, "I…think so…who are you?"

Cerulean eyes changed their expression from concern to satisfaction. "I am Kouga," he declared. "leader of this wolf tribe. I heard you say something about some sort of a wind tunnel. I also smelled your blood, so I came running. I found you, brought you here, and the rest is history."

The little girl examined the cave with interest._ A wolf den, huh? I _do_ remember Naraku mentioning something about a wolf demon to Kagura. This must be him._

"Kouga, right? My name is Sakira. And from where I came from, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." She folded her arms and looked up at the ceiling once more.

Kouga smirked. "Try me," he said.

Sakira looked at him, smiled, and began her story. "All right, but this is a true story."

And she began with her discovery of her true past: how she found out she was separated, to Kouga finding her.

"—so all my life I've lived with Naraku. For as long as I can remember, at least."

She looked back at Kouga. "You do know Naraku, do you?" She didn't know if anyone else knew about her neglectful--for lack of better term—guardian, for she had had no conversations with the outside world. Naraku had forbidden it.

Kouga nodded with a determined look. Now he had even more of a reason to kill him. _This little girl was taken from her parents at Naraku's command. She doesn't even know them._ He looked back at Sakira and noticed a gold chain around her neck. "What's that?" he asked.

She looked down at herself and saw what he did. "Oh, that. It's a picture of my mom and dad. It's all I have of them."

She opened it up. Inside was a picture of the monk and the other girl that Muttface always traveled with along with Kagome. He didn't realize that Sakira had seen his startled face.

"You know them?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, I recognize them. I've seen them travel with Inuyasha."

"Who's Inuyasha?"

Kouga looked up at her, jaw dropped._ Who's Inuyasha? She must have really been cut off if she doesn't know Inuyasha._ "He's a dog demon. Well, half-demon to be exact. It's a long story as to how I know him."

The man on Sakira's left piped in, "He's in love with the girl Inuyasha hangs out with."

"Shut up, Ginta!" Kouga shouted. Sakira was now blushing furiously. She was unsure of what to think, so she smiled. She then remembered the topic at hand.

"Kouga-kun, you said you recognized my parents. Do you know where they might be?" Sakira asked in an attempt to get him off of Ginta, or whatever his name was.

"Yes, I did say that, didn't I? I don't know where they are currently, but I do know that they're after Naraku. Along with myself."

"So if I look for a half demon, I can find my parents?" She started to get up, much to the protest of all the wolves and people around her.

"Whoa, slow down there, kid," Kouga put a hand on Sakira, motioning for her to stay put. "You can't even stand up yet."

"But what about finding Inuyasha? You said that if I found him I could be near my mom and dad." Sakira gave Kouga a pouting look.

"Yes," he said. "But you need to be able to walk around. And along your search there will be trouble in the form of demons more often than not. So once you're healthy again I will be happy to teach you some of the fighting ways of the wolf tribe." He sat back and glanced at the mouth of the cave before looking back toward Sakira and smiled at her.

"Oh, wow, Kouga-kun, you would do that?" Sakira asked as though she couldn't believe her ears.

Kouga chuckled. "Sure, kid. But you gotta get better first. Useless to train a bed-ridden person to fight a demon."

Sakira nodded. She eagerly squinted her eyes shut in an attempt to get back to sleep so as to quicken the healing process.

Ginta looked back at Hakkaku then at Kouga with a quizzical expression. _Are you really going to train her? _He mouthed. Kouga's eyes sparkled as he smiled at them and nodded. "Of course," he added. Ginta and Hakkaku exchanged looks of uncertainty.

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Not far from Kaede's village, a group of travelers were sleeping in a clearing in the middle of a rather large forest. All were quiet… except for one: a taijiya warrior who was tossing and turning in her sleep.

_Sango was sitting down at the base of a tree holding baby Sakira. Miroku was sitting next to her and talking to their child saying,_

"_the wolf by the waterfall; the wind he mauls_

_The uncle's released from the dangerous calls_

_The heir to the tunnel shall make peace prevail_

_Should the young one fight, ukaran will fail."_

_Naraku walked toward them and stood there, smirking down upon them. Miroku stood up, his left hand gripping the beads on his right, ready to fight him. Naraku said something indistinct and pulled a dagger out of nowhere. Miroku whipped open his wind tunnel, but nothing happened. Naraku took the dagger, grinning maliciously, and drove it straight through Miroku's chest._

_Sango screamed, but no words came out. Miroku crumpled to the ground and lay motionless. Naraku cackled and removed his dagger from his victim. He then looked at Sango, advanced toward her, and raised the dagger above his head, ready to strike._

_Then he changed. Naraku turned into Kohaku. Sango's younger brother suddenly dropped his weapon wearing the same guilty expression as the day Father died. He fell to his knees and took off the face mask he was wearing._

"_Sango, what have I done?" he asked pleadingly._

_Then a dozen or so arrows came from behind Sango and Sakira and hit Kohaku just as they did the day he died. He too crumpled to the ground. "KOHAKU!!!"  
Sango cried to the newly formed fog. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kagome in her archery fighting stance as though she had just flung an arrow._

_Sango couldn't believe her eyes. "Kagome, why?" she pleaded. _

_Then Kagome began to speak. "Sango," she said. "Sango, please wake up. Wake up. Sango. Sango.__Sango.__Sango.__Please wake up now, Sango. __I'm begging you.__"_

_Her voice faded into the distance._

Sango's eyes snapped open. She found out why her name was repeated. She rolled over and saw Miroku kneeling over her with a look of sleepy concern. "Sango, you must have been having a bad dream," he said.

A tidal wave of relief overwhelmed her. "Miroku! You're okay!" she exclaimed.

She sat up and pulled him into a bear hug. "I had the most horrible dream. You were…" She suddenly remembered the song that her dream husband chanted to her baby. _The song. It sounded like a prophecy. _

"What's wrong?" he asked as she let go of his neck.

Sango replied, "In my dream…you were sitting next to me while I was holding Sakira. You were chanting something. Something about a wolf, an uncle, and someone who's name began with a 'u'. Oh now I remember what you said."

He gave her a quizzical look, and she began,

"You said something like,

'the wolf by the waterfall; the wind he mauls

The uncle's released from the dangerous calls

The heir to the tunnel shall make peace prevail

Should the young one fight, ukaran will fail.'

"It sounded like a chant. Like a prophecy. What do you think it could mean?" Sango looked at Miroku with a pleading face.

"Hmm. It does sound like the future. We could ask Myoga tomorrow morning. Perhaps he knows something about the matter." He glanced over at the paranoid flea.

"Hey, would you mind keepin' it down over there? Some of us are trying to sleep!" a half-demon's voice startled the couple.

"Inuyasha, you could just go sleep in a tree somewhere," Sango piped up.

"Maybe I don't wanna go. Maybe I want to sleep soundly without having to listen to midnight conversations that come up out of nowhere!" Inuyasha's voice was rising rapidly, as usual.

"Inuyasha, sit!" came a sleepy fourth voice.

"UUGH"

Sango smiled wearily at her best friend. "Kagome, thanks for that."

Kagome Higurashi gradually heaved herself up to a sitting position. "Inuyasha's being ridiculous again. What's up, Sango? I thought I heard you call for Kohaku."

"She did," Miroku said at once. "Woke me up."

Suddenly a huge gust of wind blew in from nowhere. Everyone looked up toward the sky. Kagome woke up Shippo and Kirara, knowing only too well what a sudden gust of wind that hard would bring: Kagura.

Sure enough, a feather drifted down to them. The occupant jumped off and cackled loudly. "Hello again, Inuyasha." She said.

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Back at the castle, it was late into the night, but its occupants were far from asleep. Their little hostage had high-tailed it away right under their very noses.

Naraku was furious. He was sitting in the girl's room waiting for the insects to return with the girl. His anger knew no limits when only one buzzed toward him. But he wouldn't let that show. "Only one," he said in his usual monotonous voice. "I'm a little disappointed." He knew that "a little disappointed" was quite an understatement. "I see she got away.

The bug buzzed up to him and hissed something in his ear that only Naraku could understand.

"Rescued, huh? Well, let's give a token of our appreciation."

Naraku walked out into the garden. He stood there and looked up at the sky and watched as a huge feather floated safely to the ground.

"I have just returned from Inuyasha. I have wounded the group, but I barely managed to escape Kagome's arrows. What is it this time?"

"Kagura, remember. I control you. If I feel killing you off is necessary, I can do that. So I would be careful with that mouth if I were you. But that is beside the point I want to be made right now. I need you to summon Kanna and make a little reunion with a certain wolf."

The woman on the feather nodded a reluctant affirmative and flew off. Naraku frowned at Kagura, then smiled to himself. _Sakira, you may have left the castle, but you have not left me. You won't escape that easily._

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**A/N: i had fun writing sango's dream. i like miroku an' all, but idk i just had to do that in the dream. little difficult getting out of it. oh well, R&R plz and give ideas on how u think sakira should meet back w/ her parents. one lucky winner will see their idea in my fanfic. and i know the beginning was once again kinda boring, but the gal couldn't walk:'(**

**sango's dream wasnt mentioned in summary at end of last chapter, but it is very important!**

**next chapter: probably going to include Kouga training her. not sure tho**


	4. Kagura's Arrival and Sakira's Ally

**A/N: sry everyone for the long wait. writer's blocks can really get to ya. o and sry I didn't do the fight w/ Kagura in the last chapter. I promise I'll do one tho. ****Sesshy Alert****!!! I just had to throw in Sesshomaru, which is good news if ur a fan of his (such as myself). Now on w/ the story.**

_Thoughts_

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Kouga sat at the back of the cave next to a sleeping and rapidly healing Sakira. She could walk now, but running she said made her dizzy. Two days had passed since he had rescued her from the woods. He looked over at her. She looked 3 years younger when she was asleep. He wondered of he did as well. Maybe everyone did.

His eyes fell to the gold heart chain around her neck. The people inside it. The monk and that other girl. He couldn't recall their names, but he knew that he used to know them. If someone said those names, he'd recognize them. The monk had a wind tunnel that Kouga had seen him use. It was in one of his hands.

Sakira shifted in her sleep, which brought Kouga out of his memories of the Jeromaru and Kageromaru incident. He looked at her once again as she scratched her nose. A cloth caught his attention. Kouga remembered a cloth and a string of beads covering the monk's wind hole. On this girl's right hand was a cloth, but there wasn't one on her left hand. If she really was the monk's daughter, then that must be another wind hole. _At least she's not totally weaponless when she's traveling._

Kouga stood up and advanced to the mouth of the cave. He stared down at all he could see. _Such a slow-moving day. I wonder what Kagome's doing right now. _He thought of his black-haired beauty. He thought of her green skirt and white top and red bow tie hanging on her chest. How much of her legs that skirt showed. No other girl he'd seen had shown that much of them. _Maybe that's why Muttface has been so close to her. He only admires her legs. That bastard. If Kagome ever knew that he would have broken her heart—again._

A new scent shook him out of his reverie of beating the crap out of Inuyasha. The scent of a demon, a human, and…one he hadn't smelled before…an imp. The stench of demon was stronger than that of Inu-trasha's. _What—who—who is this little imp I smell? If it is Muttface and Kagome, what would cause them to ditch the others for an imp and…wait…a dragon? I'd better go check it out._

And with that he leapt off the mountain and sprinted to the source of that strange odor.

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Rin smiled. The sound of a nearby waterfall was soothing to her after all the battles she had witnessed her demon guardian fight. And she had found the prettiest flower to put on Master Jaken when he was asleep. It smelled nice, too. She picked it quickly and hurried to catch up with the rest of the traveling group, only to crash straight into the legs of Lord Sesshomaru with a loud _thump, _much to Jaken's annoyance.

"Watch where you're going, silly girl," he shouted at her. But Rin wasn't listening. She was busy gazing at her demon guardian, for he was looking up at the sky with a curious expression.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what's going on?" she asked, wanting to know everything about…well…everything that Lord Sesshomaru knew.

He paused before answering, "I smell a wolf. And it's drawing nearer to us," he said in his usual monotonous voice.

Sure enough, a man with a tail in wolf armor appeared seconds later in front of Lord Sesshomaru. He wore a determined expression as if daring the demon to step any further in the direction he came from.

"Who are you, what do you want?" the strange man demanded. _He must be a demon, _Rin thought. _He has a tail. And his ears don't look human either._

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "I don't think you want to find out," he said in a slightly irritated voice. He scanned the man's wolf-like clothes. _He must be Kouga of the wolf kin._ "And you act as though you are protecting something. Tell me. Do you by any chance possess any Shikon jewel shards?"

"What's it to you?" the wolf demon asked flatly, not moving a muscle. Sesshomaru smiled. _He is definitely hiding a shard. _Kouga suddenly continued, this time straightening up and smirking. "Besides, you look like you have something to protect as well," he said looking around at Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un.

Sesshomaru frowned and said nothing, his eyes locked onto the eyes of the wolf in front of him and giving him a severe warning look. He glared at Kouga for a bit before answering, "You are just like Inuyasha," he said. "Your oversized mouth is your greatest weapon."

Kouga's face reddened in anger as the demon said the last statement. _How dare he talk to me that way! _"You shut your mouth! I am NOTHING like Inu-trasha!" Kouga took a step toward him, ready to throw the first punch. But before the two of them could begin, a huge gust of wind blew in from behind the wolf prince and nearly blew him straight into his would-be opponent.

Kouga wheeled around and heard the white-haired demon step forward beside him. The scent of Naraku was very strong in the area. And both men were thinking the very same thing: _Kagura._

OOOOOOOOO

_How could I have missed Kagura's scent? It must have been this fool distracting me from it._ So thought the wolf prince as Kagura's cackles reverberated throughout the mountains.

"Well, well, two birds with one stone. This is my lucky day," Kagura sneered as she hopped off her feather. "You two dog-brains are about to breathe your last. Too bad the closest you ever got to Naraku at your death was one of his creations."

Kouga utterly despised being called a dog. Shaking with anger he shouted back, "That's enough! I am no mere dog. I am a WOLF! I am way beyond something as pathetic as a dog!" He heard the demon beside him snort in disgust at his words. "Kagura, you're going to wish you'd never messed with me!"

And with that Kouga charged at the wind sorceress, fist at the ready. But Kagura was too quick for him. She raised her fan and shouted, "Dance of the Blades!" White rings came spinning toward the wolf prince. He skidded to a halt and tried to get out of the way at the same time, but the rings would not stop. One caught him square in the back and hurled him back toward the traveling group behind the dog demon. Luckily they were out of the way by the time he was slammed to the ground. Injured but refusing to give in, Kouga got to his feet.

Sesshomaru likewise headed straight for Kagura. Unlike Kouga, he was quick enough to dodge the next round of blades. He swiped at Kagura but missed, for she jumped out of the way just in time. "Kanna!" she called.

A little girl with silver hair holding a small circular mirror had removed herself from Kagura's feather without Sesshomaru noticing it. As he looked over she was walking toward him in a dazed sort of way. He didn't want to risk any more danger to Rin or create more distraction from his mission. Without waiting to see what it was she could do, Sesshomaru charged toward her and unsheathed his Tokijin. The girl muttered something in a dreamy voice and her mirror glowed to life. He stopped. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Kouga was heading straight for her but hesitated as well. _What is this?_ Suddenly Sesshomaru felt as if he were being pulled toward the mirror. He stabbed the ground with his sword to give him something to hold on to, but to no effect. The pulling continued. _Perhaps Tenseiga might do something._ Quickly he let go of Tokijin and immediately the pulling increased tremendously. He had to act fast. In the blink of an eye he had Tenseiga out and he shouted, "Dragon Strike!"

Massive bolts of blue lightning were sent to the mirror in an attempt to shatter it. Backfire. All of the lightning went to the mirror all right, but it went _into_ it. Nothing happened. Not a scratch. _What is this thing? _Sesshomaru thought in shock. Kagura was grinning wickedly. Before anything else was said or done, the same huge lightning bolts came pelting at Sesshomaru and hit him right in his chest and shocking as though there was not tomorrow. It felt like a thousand knives jabbing at every nook and cranny of his body. He felt as if this were a fate worse than death itself. Nothing to him was more embarrassing than being hit with his own attack. The shock ceased, and the dog demon fell to the ground and lay motionless.

"Fool," Kagura said flatly after cackling. She narrowed her eyes and turned to Kouga. "I'll take it from here," she said to Kanna. The wind sorceress raised her fan.

This time Kouga was ready. He stood his ground as four or five tornadoes came charging toward him. He took his shard arm and slammed the ground to try to make a barrier. This only made things worse. The twisters picked up the loose rocks and tossed them carelessly but ferociously at the already injured wolf prince. Once again Kouga was slammed into the ground this time by rocks even though he had managed to dodge a few. Twister after twister picked him up and threw him here and there. After what seemed like an eternity of pain the wind dispersed and Kouga lay face down on the ground struggling to get up from the pain._ If there ever was a time I would need that dog demon's power, it would be now._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I sure hope Kouga's all right," said a worried Ginta to a concerned Hakkaku.

"Yeah, it's been too long. If we have to wait any longer I'm gonna go in after 'im."

The two were assigned to keep an eye on Sakira while their leader was away. They did more thinking of Kouga than of their task at hand, though. Sakira had recently woken up and had heard that Kouga might be in danger. _No way, _she thought. _If Kouga-kun is in danger I'm going after him and I don't care what those two lugs say. _She thought of how he had rescued her from being taken back to Naraku. How he had cared for her in her time of need. And he says he knows her mom and dad. If anything happened to him she didn't know what she'd do.

While Ginta and Hakkaku were still talking with each other, Sakira quickly and as quietly as she could crept over to a particularly large rock over on the left side of the cave. Kouga had shown her this tunnel as an emergency exit. And for her, if the wolf prince was in danger, this was an emergency. Once she got to the rock, she quietly lifted it up. _It's a good thing this thing isn't so heavy. It makes it much easier on my part._ Indeed the rock was much lighter than it looked. It felt almost hollow.

Sakira moved the rock aside and set it down as silently as possible so the other two still think she's asleep. She turned to the mouth, where they were. They were still lost in their conversations._ Good, _she thought as she smiled. She crawled in the tunnel and turned around to reconceal it. Ginta and Hakkaku didn't know about this place. And she loved it. After the stone was back in place Sakira turned back around and began crawling. The tunnel was pitch black. But that didn't matter. The tunnel had only one path: away from the cave, which was where she needed to be in order to look for her guardian. The tunnel was cool and damp and it hurt a little to be on nothing but rocks, but after lying on them for days you get a little used to them. Sakira crawled on and on. Each time she spent hesitating could be precious time that Kouga-kun was suffering. She sped up. _No one hurts Kouga-kun and gets away with it. Not while I'm around._

_Light. I'm at the end!_ Sakira was overjoyed at seeing the specks of light that a pile of small rocks at the end provided in the cracks they didn't cover. She speed-crawled toward them and pushed them away carelessly. She squinted a little at the brightness of the sun from the darkness of the tunnel. Sakira scanned the land for any signs of him. And she got it.

A woman holding a fan stood cackling at a brown limp figure in the distance. _Oh no, Kouga-kun! _The woman raised her fan exclaimed, "Now, you die. Dance of the Dragon!" Several twisters hurled toward him. What was she to do? She didn't have any weapons to throw at the woman…but she did have one that might stop the cyclones.

Uncertain of what was going to happen, she nervously whipped off her cloth, aimed at the twisters and screamed, "WIND TUNNEL!"

Immediately a howling wind came toward Sakira's right hand. She watched hopefully if the twisters would change course. At first nothing differed. But she waited a little more and something happened. The twisters—all of them—halted and then slowly came for her. She stood in stunned concentration as some of the twisters dispersed completely and the rest of them disappeared into her hand. As soon as Sakira saw that all were gone she sealed the wind and sighed in relief. She turned to the woman who produced them and was pleased to see a stunned expression. The woman then frowned and raised her fan. Sakira had had enough of her even though she had just recently arrived. "If you make one more move I'll suck you in alongside your stupid attack!" Sakira shouted, determined to get her away from Kouga.

The woman frowned deeper and said flatly, "I'll pass." She threw something up into the air and a huge feather came out of nowhere. She and a small girl Sakira had never seen or noticed before climbed on. The feather floated up as the woman said one last thing: "I suggest you be careful. Naraku's getting angry." With that she cackled and flew off.

Sakira sighed and suddenly remembered. _Kouga-kun! _She raced over to his limp body. He was scratched and bruised from head to toe. She turned him over on to his back. Same on this side, with blood trickling down his face._ That wench is going to pay for this._ Sakira's eyes began to water. _Please don't be dead, Kouga-kun. Please don't be dead. I don't know what I'd do if you were dead. _He winced at his pain. Sakira sighed. To her relief, he was still alive. She rested his head in her lap.

"Sa….ki….ra" he said. Then he blacked out. That was all he could manage among his weakness. Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks. She was crying in pain at the sight of his suffering, and in joy that he was alive, that she had arrived just in the nick of time. She needed to get him back to the cave. But how? She couldn't drag him in the tunnel; he's in too much pain as it is, and she's not that strong.

She looked up and scanned the area for help. Sakira stopped as another little girl caught her attention. This little girl looked just a bit younger than herself and was wearing a checkered kimono. She was staring curiously at her with huge round eyes. Sakira noticed she was kneeling next to someone in white. The little girl and Sakira saw that the whit figure was now maneuvering himself into a sitting position. He was all right. But Kouga was not. Sakira looked at the little girl for help then looked down at Kouga. Maybe this child could help her transfer Kouga. Apparently she was thinking the same thing, for she walked over and knelt down beside her and the wolf prince.

She gazed at Kouga with a worried expression. "He takes care of you, doesn't he?" she asked.

Sakira was taken aback at such an inquiry. Slowly she nodded. _How does she know?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by a cold, smooth voice from the distance.

"Rin, it is time to leave," it said flatly.

The girl did not answer. Sakira asked, "Your name is Rin?"

"Yes," Rin said. "And that is Lord Sesshomaru. I am traveling with him." She paused and looked back at Kouga. "He needs help. There's a village not far from here. Ah and Un can fly him there."

Sakira felt like hugging her. "Oh, that would be much appreciated. Thank you so much! But how are we going to get him onto your dragon?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem. Lord Sesshomaru can lift him on," Rin replied.

Sakira raised an eyebrow. She looked over at the now standing Sesshomaru as Rin mentioned him helping. He looked as if that would be utter torture. This made Sakira a little uneasy about him handling her loved one. Rin smiled assuringly.

Sesshomaru looked away and sighed. "All right," he said. "We'll take him to the village."

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**A/N: ok, so Kouga wasnt training her. i am really bad at making good beginnings. plz R&R anyway. i did put a kagura fight in tho. plus it shows how much sakira really cares about Kouga 8-) and let's just pretend that something magical happened to rin that kept her a little girl. i just wanted sakira to have a friend her age :-)**


	5. Decoding the Prophecy

"There it is! Up there! You see it?"

"Yes, Shippo, we see it. Quit getting so worked up about it."

"Inuyasha, just because tonight's the night you turn human doesn't mean you can be all snappy with everyone!" Shippo whined.

Inuyasha and the others were looking for a village where they could rest and care to injuries that have not healed from Kagura's fight three days ago. Satsuki's village just happened to be the nearest one. This put Shippo in such a good mood he seemed to be singing all the time now. Inuyasha, in contrast, seemed to be getting grouchier by the minute. Tonight he was to turn human; therefore he wanted to be somewhere safe. Or rather, somewhere Kagome would be safe. Today it was hard for even Inuyasha to take down Shippo's spirits.

_I can't wait to be back with Satsuki. It's been so long._ Shippo began reminiscing the time he met her and how she believed she had a jewel shard when it was just a rock piece. How she had wished for her brother when he had passed away in battle and she didn't believe anything the villagers said about it. How he had fought that lizard demon. Inuyasha had driven it away but had said that he, Shippo, had done most of the work by the time he had arrived. _It's going to be much better this time. I'm sure of it._

Far too excited to stay in the basket of Kagome's bike, Shippo jumped out and hurried ahead to the village. It looked just as he remembered it last time they were here. When he got to the side of a hut, he scanned the streets for his friend. To his dismay, he didn't find her. He kept searching as the others caught up with him.

"Well, where is she?" demanded a pissed-off Inuyasha.

"I don't know," said Shippo. The little fox demon was getting worried.

The others joined in the search. A few moments later Sango pointed toward a hut and exclaimed, "There! Over at that house; I just saw her come out of there." Shippo screamed Satsuki's name in delight and scurried over to her. The gang couldn't help but notice that Satsuki had changed completely since they last saw her. She was now at least ten years older and was a young woman now. However, Shippo still saw the same little girl he knew so long ago.

"Shippo!" she exclaimed. As soon as he got to her she scooped him up and pulled him into a bear hug. "Shippo it's so good to see you! You have no idea how much I've missed you for all these years!"

"On a normal basis, Shippo would have squirmed to try to get out of a squeeze, but this time," Kagome pointed out, "he doesn't seem to mind," she said and giggled. The group watched them exchange memories from between their last visit and now until a wince of pain came from Miroku, and Sango pointed out they should find a place to stay.

Miroku "exorcised" the nicest place in the village despite himself, and everyone (except Shippo, who was with Satsuki, of course) settled down and ate some dinner. It was then that Sango brought up the topic of the song she heard in her dream a couple nights ago.

"So, Myoga," she said. "What do you think of it?" Sango asked after repeating the words she heard.

Myoga sat down on Inuyasha's knee and pondered this for a minute. "Hmm. It's been a long time since I've heard that one, but yes, it is a prophecy. However as far as what it means, I have no idea."

Miroku began, "Well, let's go through it. Maybe something will come up. Does anyone know of a wolf by any waterfalls?"

"Kouga," Inuyasha grunted at once.

"And he does live by a waterfall. I saw it when he kidnapped me," Kagome piped in.

Miroku nodded at Kagome. "Now that's half of the first verse we've figured out," he confirmed. "But how could you hurt the wind?"

"It would have to be a creature in order to be hurt. Like a wind demon or something," said Sango. Everyone was silent. None of them could think of a wind demon. Then suddenly Kagome gasped.

"Kagura!" she exclaimed. This was followed by murmurs of "of course" throughout the group. "So if we put that together, Kouga is going to injure Kagura. Probably badly."

"There's no _way_ Kouga can badly hurt Kagura. Last time he took her on _he _was the one badly injured." The now human Inuyasha said.

Sango argued, "Inuyasha, we don't make these prophecies, we're just trying to interpret them!" Inuyasha glared at her and said nothing more, for Kagome just gave him an if-you-say-anything-more-I'll-"sit"-you look.

He then chose his words carefully and watched Kagome from the corner of his eye. "So 'the uncle's released from the dangerous calls.' What's it mean?"

"Well, obviously it's someone's uncle. And some sort of call that makes him a slave, he's going to be away from that because of his niece or nephew. But if we know who one is, we'll know the other. But the problem is, we don't know either one," Miroku continued after Inuyasha. He looked around questioningly in hopes that someone knew of anyone who currently has an uncle. When no one spoke, the monk sighed. "Sango, what's next?"

His wife replied, "'The heir to the tunnel shall make peace prevail.' How could anyone inherit a tunnel?"

"Hmm. Well in my time," Kagome said, "a tunnel is underground and it's made of concrete. But I don't know how that prophecy would apply to five hundred years in the future." After saying all this she gave a brief explanation of what concrete was when everyone gave her a quizzical look.

"In any case, whoever this heir is, they're going to bring peace to us all," Miroku said. "What did you say the last part was?"

Sango looked as if she was trying desperately to hold back a sigh. "'Should the young one fight, Ukaran will fail.'"

"I don't get it," said a disgruntled Inuyasha. "How could a kid bring peace to humanity?"

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, you're only a half demon, yet you defeated Ryukotsusei. Your father could only put him dormant. And we all know that children tend to have more peaceful minds."

"What I don't get," Sango said hastily so as to avoid any fighting for Miroku's sake, "is who Ukaran is. We don't know of any demon by that name."

"Maybe if we sleep on it something will come up in the morning. That's what usually happens to me," Kagome considered to the rest of the group. Sango nodded in agreement. Miroku sighed again but accepted this suggestion all the same. Inuyasha reluctantly volunteered to stay up and keep an eye out for Shippo.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moonless night brought more darkness than ever for the recently arrived party with a dragon. After begging one of the elder villagers for a place for Kouga, Sakira gently laid him down inside while Rin fetched a bucket of cool water and a cloth. Sakira stayed by his side the whole time, something Rin understood perfectly, for she went to get medicinal herbs when Jaken was ill.

"Hey, Rin," Sakira said after an eternity of silence. "Thanks. For everything. I really couldn't have done this without you."

Rin smiled and felt her cheeks turn hot. "No problem. If you need anything else, I've told the villagers to get it for you, no matter what you need. Anything huge and I'll get it for you." Sakira giggled.

The door slid open and Jaken scolded Rin for taking so long. She turned her back to him throughout his lecture about a grumpy Sesshomaru and a hungry Ah-Un. He left muttering angrily to himself when Rin reminded him of how she fetched the herb that saved him when he fell ill.

"Oh, I forgot about Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru. They…well…I should probably go. I hope your guardian gets better."

"Thanks. I'll never forget you, Rin. You're the first human friend I've made…well, the first human friend that actually acts human."

It was Rin's turn to giggle. The two of them turned to look toward the back at Kouga. Sakira turned back around with tears built up and ready to fall down her cheeks. Rin hated seeing her new friend this way. She wrapped her arms around Sakira. To her secret relief, Sakira didn't protest. In thankful response she did the same to Rin. She buried her face in Rin's shoulder. Together they stood like this. Whether it was minutes, hours, or days neither of them knew. When they finally broke apart both faces were tearstained.

"Good luck," Rin whispered. Sakira nodded and watched her out of the house. Rin arrived outside and Jaken began yelling at her at once, not noticing or not caring that she was feeling very emotional at the moment. Sesshomaru said nothing but stared at the tearstained Rin. He wondered why on earth she would be crying at a time like this. He decided not to question her as they trudged away from the village.

Rin looked back and waved at Sakira, who was standing outside and waving back. Sakira then returned inside to tend to the wolf's injuries. "Good luck, Sakira," Rin whispered to herself as she lowered her arm. She remembered a while later that she had forgotten to tell Sakira about a woman in the village who might be able to help. She was by that time too far away to go back and tell her, but she had heard of the woman in the village known as Satsuki.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Sakira walked into the hut along with some wolves that had no doubt been sent by the two thugs back at the cave. She came carrying a handful of dead rabbits and a pile of logs. Each of the wolves were carrying a few squirrels. Sakira laid down her load and looked up to see Kouga in a sitting position.

"Morning, Kouga-kun," she said excitedly. "How are you feeling?"

He moaned tiredly and said, "How long have I been out?"

"Just for one night," Sakira replied in a rather perky manner. "You being a demon helped considerably, although you probably shouldn't be up and around just yet. Remember you said you would train me and if we would do that today, you probably wouldn't be in any condition to do much."

Kouga threw back his head and laughed. "Me? Too injured to train a child? Don't be ridiculous, Sakira, I think I know my own strength." He winced painfully as he slowly rose to his feet. Sakira rushed to his aid by grabbing his arm firmly with both hands, but he hastily threw an unconvincing "I'm fine" at her. Despite himself, Kouga knew that he wasn't quite as "fine" as he wanted to believe he was. And he knew that Sakira could tell, otherwise she wouldn't be squeezing his arm, but if he was to be a good teacher, he was going to show her that sometimes you just have to toughen up and deal with the injuries you get. Kouga had also told her back at the cave apart from that, that you'll almost never be injure-free while fighting except at the very beginning.

Sakira knew this already but tossed the information aside. Kouga was seriously injured, and she pointed out that he wasn't fighting now so she could tend to what needed to be fixed.

After an argument with their eyes, Sakira reluctantly released Kouga from her constantly tightening grasp and pouted a "fine". "Do as you must, however I should warn you that some of your activities are going to be a bit…painful."

Kouga smiled at her and then turned to the wolves. One cocked its head, and another began wagging its tail at the sight of a grinning prince. "Look, Sakira, if you want me to train you, then let's go outside. If not, then we can start making our way back to Ginta and Hakkaku."

Sakira sighed. She was torn between Kouga's health and her eagerness to be trained in the ways of the wolf demon tribe. And if they went back to the cave, she'd be back with Hakkaku and Ginta. Hakkaku she didn't mind as much. She even called him Haki most of the time. Sakira wasn't fond at all of Ginta. Hakkaku didn't boss her around near as much as Ginta did. He was always scolding her for asking Kouga questions that he didn't find the wolf prince should answer or he was always telling her to do this or take care of that. Sakira despised him; she couldn't stand him. So the young girl couldn't help but grin at the thought of being away from Mr. Bossy for yet a longer period of time.

"So, are you going to answer?" Kouga's voice brought her back to earth.

"Oh! Kouga-kun, yes, let's go!" Sakira exclaimed. Once again her heart felt light as a feather as she raced to catch up with the already venturing Kouga.

"By the way," he said. "You can call me Kouga. Just Kouga." Sakira grinned.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A short walk brought Kouga and Sakira to a good-sized space next to a cliff and a forest.

"All right. Your training. The first thing we'll do would probably be agility. It gets tiring after a while, but not as much as attacking five hundred times in a row. Makes the opponent much easier to target, too." Kouga was explaining all this to Sakira as the pair of them observed their surroundings.

"Hey, Kouga," said Sakira, half listening to what he was saying. "I was just thinking. Wouldn't it be much easier if I just suck the demons into my wind thing?"

Kouga thought for a minute. That was true, but he smirked and replied, "Some demons are just worth the fight." He thought of Inuyasha and Naraku. Or in Inuyasha's case, half demon. Sakira continued to ask questions, and that brought the wolf prince back to earth.

"What kinds of demons?"

Then Kagura came to Kouga's mind. "Kagura…the wind sorceress." He continued after she gave him a puzzled look. "She was the one with the fan." Sakira looked at the ground as if she understood. The wolf demon attempted to brighten the gloomy face that was staring at the ground. "Enough of this talk. You wanted me to teach you the ways of the wolf demon tribe. So then what are we waiting for?

"Let the training begin!"

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**A/N: ya i got nothin to tell you except im BEGGING u to plz review and tell me wat u think.**


	6. Kowagaru the Fear Demon

**A/N: there will come a time in this chapter where playing mysterious/creepy music will take effect. it would help a lot if it was instrumental (w/o words). i like the ending :-D now, ON W/ THE STORY!!!**

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"Oof!" Sakira landed on the ground yet again. One of the wolves had landed on top of her. It pressed its paws in her stomach as it jumped off. She sighed. All morning Kouga had been teaching her agility. By doing so he had her run around and avoid incoming wolves. This had also built endurance, but when she was running out of breath she would slow down, but unfortunately the wolves wouldn't. They would pounce regardless.

Sakira lay down in the dirt. She was hot, sweaty, her muscles ached, but most of all she was hungry. They left the hut without her even thinking about breakfast. Now it was just about lunchtime and neither one of them had anything to eat.

"Can we stop and get some lunch? _Please_?" She whined.

Kouga frowned but agreed. In truth, he was hungry too, but the sooner Sakira learned to protect herself, the better. _I guess we should get something to eat…wait! I know. Maybe I could send Sakira on her first hunt. Yeah, that'll work. In the real world there will be a time for searching._ "Hey, Sakira! Why don't you go with the wolves to get our food! You haven't hunted yet, it's time you learned how! I'll see you when you get back!"

_Oh, great. More training? Does Kouga ever stop to take a break from being a sensei? Oh, well. I guess the sooner I go, the sooner I get back. _Sakira finally rose to her feet and caught up with the waiting wolf pack. She groaned as she picked up a nearby stick and twirled it around in her fingers. "Let's go," she said unnecessarily to the pack, for they had already started sniffing for tracks. She walked out of Kouga's eyesight and sat at the base of a random tree. Sakira looked around at all the wolves. Occasionally she would hear a growl and then the sound of eight legs sprinting away. A victorious howl would mean that they would have another something to eat. She didn't see the point of her going when the wolves did the hunting.

She stood up and picked a fruit off another tree and sunk her teeth into it. She felt the cool juice run on her teeth and down her chin. Wiping off her face she walked around, looking for something to do to pass the time while all the wolves gathered their game around the tree at which she was just sitting. _This is boring._

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"So what do you want to do now, Satsuki?" Shippo asked. He and his friend had just been sitting by the lake talking again about pastimes. Shippo had made sure to check in with Inuyasha and the others on where he was going for the day before he left them that morning. So far all that he had done with Satsuki today was meet more villagers and chat about long ago. Shippo had just gotten finished telling her about Sango and Miroku's daughter and how she'd been missing since the day she was born. That started Satsuki in on a friend of hers that had been missing for years as well. Then the conversation moved back to her brother, which brought tears and comfort. How she was just a child when she thought she saw her brother back from battle.

"Oh, I almost forgot! There's a demon in the woods. The children go in there to see him, claiming that he helps them with their needs, but they come out all pale and dazed. Some have even died a few days after they say they meet him."

Shippo grinned in determination. "Sounds like a job for me! Take me to this wretched demon you speak of!"

Satsuki giggled as if she was a little girl again. Then she set off to the forest with Shippo on her shoulder. Shippo couldn't help but notice that the forest was getting darker and darker with every step Satsuki took. He began to get nervous. He almost wished Inuyasha and the others were with them. _Maybe I'm not cut out for this…no. I'm gonna be brave. If I'm going to live like a warrior, I've gotta face my fears. Inuyasha doesn't get scared of a demon, so why should I be? I hope Satsuki knows where she's going…_

"Just a little farther," Satsuki said after what felt like an eternity. Shippo gulped. All around he heard owls hooting and bats flying past screeching. The forest was getting colder by the minute. Things were becoming harder to see because of ever-thickening fog, which silenced much around them. The hairs on the back of Shippo's neck stood up and chills ran down his spine. He looked over at Satsuki. She wore an expression of terror, but said nothing.

Then he heard it. A sinister, scratchy voice that sounded like it was feet in front of them.

"How kind. A woman has saved me the trouble of going to the village to round up more suffering children. Or do you come seeking me just like the others?"

Shippo heard Satsuki swallow hard. Inuyasha came to his mind. He thought of how he protects Kagome without fear. With that he jumped off Satsuki's shoulder and told her to head back to the village. "I'll take care of this," he added.

Satsuki looked fearfully at Shippo and asked, "Are you sure? Don't you want Inuyasha and the others here?"

"No. I'll get this one alone." _I just hope I can, at least. _"Actually, just stay back and call them if I tell you to," he whispered. She nodded and backed up out of the way. "All right, demon, show yourself! I haven't got all day!" Shippo exclaimed, sounding more confident than he felt.

A dark hooded figure came out of the fog. Just this mysterious demon's mere prescence flooded the young fox demon with fear. He felt cold all over. He was going to die. _No. I've got to fight._ He tried to get up, but his muscles forgot how. A human hand drenched in blood reached out from the cloak and curled its fingers around Shippo's neck. The second the hand touched him Shippo no longer saw the forest and the demon, but he was standing on a rock with Kirara by his side. He could now miraculously move. Shippo looked up and saw the night sky. But there was a figure up there. In the distance Sesshomaru was standing on a tall rock looking down triumphantly at a scarlet heap lying on the ground below. Shippo saw white hair and doggy ears covered with blood. The amber eyes had a blank look to them. A black-haired girl in green-and-white clothes was sitting beside him, sobbing uncontrollably. She sprawled out over his lifeless body. Shippo noticed she was sitting near the edge of a huge crater. He heard cackling. Kirara growled. _Why isn't Kirara by Inuyasha? And where's Sango?_ Shippo started to run toward Inuyasha and Kagome, but he wasn't going anywhere. _Why can't I get to Inuyasha?_ He tried calling out to Kagome, to let her know that he was there, but no sound came out of his mouth. Shippo's eyes watered. He was ready to cry…cry out like there was no tomorrow. His legs were moving, but he was not going. Suddenly the image of a hooded demon flashed before his eyes. _The demon. That means…this is all an illusion!_ The figure flashed again, this time longer and more frequently.

"Sat…su…ki! Get…Inu…yasha!" he struggled. The bloody fingers tightened around his neck. He cried out to get the demon off, "F…Fo…FOXFIRE!"

That did it. The demon released him and Shippo fell to the ground gasping for air. "Just…just a…an illusion. N-not r-r-real." He looked up at the demon. His vision became blurry. He saw the strange hooded shape turn around and depart. Shippo's muscles gave out, and he remembered no more.

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

Sakira sat down again and decided to make up a song about boredom. As she took another bite, she leaned her head back against the trunk. Her chewing created the rhythm she was going to use. Just as she inhaled to begin, she heard a shout from the distance that came from within the forest.

"FOXFIRE!!!"

Startled, Sakira jerked her head around so fast she almost snapped her neck. Within seconds she had gotten up and was hurrying toward the noise. _What was that? It sounded like a kid. But how would a kid have any powers? How would they be able to do anything with fire except for building it?_

She crunched leaf after leaf and snapped twig after twig, pushed branches away and jumped over fallen trees. Twice she tripped over high roots and ran into countless spiderwebs. Her progress got her to a place that was unbelievably cold. She sensed a strong demonic auora. _There's something other-worldly about this._

Sakira stopped when she came upon a brightly colored bundle lying facedown on the forest floor. She recognized a fox demon by its big, bushy tail. This one looked young with reddish hair. It was wearing a top with white nuts on it fur straps over it. Sakira could also tell it was a fox by the legs. No human child has legs like that. She'd only seen those on dead foxes the wolves pick up before they are skinned.

She turned the demon over onto its back. _He looks more human than any other small demon I've seen. Well, demon or not, he appears to be hurt pretty badly. And he doesn't look the harmful type, maybe I should take him in and care for him._

Sakira cocked her head at this decision just as some of the wolves do when Kouga makes a proposition. She sighed. _Kouga. I sure hope he'll let me take care of him. I'll just tell him that once this little guy's in good enough condition I'll let him go. And Mr. Wolf Prince will just have to deal with that._

She scooped up the little fox and cradled him for a minute or two before trudging back where she came from. Now that she could look closer at him she noticed he was mildly bruised in several places. _Those will just have to heal on their own. I don't know of anything that can treat those._

It was a little more difficult getting back, for Sakira only had one hand to push branches out of the way. However, the slow pace of walking and the rapidly increasing temperature helped to calm her down enough to be careful not to trip on unsuspecting roots.

After a few minutes of hiking Sakira found herself back at the tree she was sitting before departing. Except now it was surrounded by wolves and small dead animals. They all looked expectantly at her. _I guess the wolves think _I_ killed something. Hm. I guess wolves will be wolves. _"Let's go," she commanded in reply to their hungry looks. Happily the wolves picked up their prey and raced off. Knowing they were in a thin area of the forest, Sakira picked up a rabbit one of the wolves left behind for Kouga to eat. They always leave one behind for the pack leader to take back. _Great. Now I have _two_ things to carry. Oh well, at least we're in a shallow area._ She sighed and followed the rest of the pack.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, where was this demon?" Inuyasha asked for the umpteenth time.

"I thought it was here. Right here. But he's gone," said a worried Satsuki. She gasped. "He must have taken Shippo with him!"

"If it did, I would be able to sniff him out." Inuyasha briefly sniffed the air and then got down on the ground. "Weird though, I don't smell him anywhere."

"Maybe this occurred somewhere else in the forest," Sango suggested.

"Not likely," Satsuki said in reply, "I remember it was by this tree. And it has scratch marks on it from another creature. He's got to be around here somewhere. I just know he—"

"Wait," Miroku interrupted. "Do you feel that?"

Sango gasped. "That's a strong demonic auora. And whatever it is it's changing the weather." Everyone felt it. The forest was becoming unbearably cold.

Kagome shivered. "Sure is. But I don't sense any shards."

Satsuki bowed her head. "He's here. Kowagaru."

"'Bout time," laughed Inuyasha as he drew out his claws. The hooded demon came out of the newly formed fog, and everything seemed to stand still and silent.

" Be careful, Inuyasha. Don't let him touch you." Satsuki's voice seemed to bring everything out of a trance.

Inuyasha jerked his head back and laughed. "Kowagaru won't be able to touch me. He'll be dead! IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!!!" Inuyasha swiped his claws, but to no effect. Kowagaru faded from view.

"Inuyasha, behind you!" screamed Kagome.

The hanyou turned around and there stood the hooded demon. Before Inuyasha could react, Kowagaru reached out and seized him by the neck.

The hooded figure faded away, and Inuyasha found himself standing alone among tall flames that were burning the remains of a village. _What happened here? And where is everyone?_

"Inuyasha!" called a familiar voice. As the hanyou scanned the area for the source, Kikyo came limping from amid the flames. She hobbled over to him and fell into his arms. "Inuyasha, I'm glad to see that," she winced, "you're okay."

"Kikyo, what happened to you?" Inuyasha asked in horror, also finding it odd that he couldn't feel her even though she was clinging on to him for dear life.. Kikyo continued as if she hadn't heard him.

"Naraku came and burned…the village down. Quickly, let us…get away from…" she suddenly gasped. "I…Inu…yash…a" she barely muttered before she collapsed into a lifeless heap in the hanyou's arms.

"Kikyo…Kikyo…KIKYO!!!" Inuyasha screamed to try to bring her back. He lifted her closer to him and hugged her body, tears welling in his eyes. While doing this he noticed an arrow protruding from her spine. _What? Who else could…_

Someone cackled in the distance. Inuyasha looked up and saw Naraku standing beside Kagome, who stood as she does after she fires an arrow. The hanyou was torn between grief at Kikyo's death, horrified shock at Kagome's betrayal, and fury at Naraku for…being Naraku. After calling him a bastard, Inuyasha laid Kikyo's body down in front of him and stepped over her to face the two. He clenched his fists and charged at Naraku. Inuyasha raised his claws and…

WHAM! Inuyasha's spine tingled as it slid down a rough surface. He landed on the ground with a _thump_. He opened his eyes, which he had not realized were closed, and saw a forest. _What happened? Where am I?_ He looked behind him and saw that somehow he had been thrown against a tree.

"Inuyasha, are you all right?" asked a friendly, deep voice. _Miroku? Oh, that's right. The last thing I remember was…a demon!_

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's the demon?"

"Oh, one of my arrows got rid of him. He's gone now," said a comforting voice Inuyasha knew to be Kagome. He felt her touch his arm. "Are you sure you're okay? You're trembling."

The hanyou blushed. He didn't want to get sappy with Kagome while the others were around. It would hurt his dignity, so he shoved her hand away. "I told you, I'm fine. Can we go now?" He didn't look directly at Kagome's eyes, but he could tell she was unconvinced. Inuyasha didn't dare look at her face.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha with concern. _What's really bothering him? Does it have to do with something Kowagaru did to him?_ Her thoughts ceased when she noticed he was staring at her chest. "Inuyasha!"

"What now?"

"SIT, boy!"

"UUNGH!!!!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: creepy chapter. i know it sounds a lot like the dementors. I DONT OWN THEM!!! playing **


	7. Kikyo and Kagura: Friends or Foes?

Night fell in feudal Japan. Inuyasha and the gang were gathered in a hut in Satsuki's village. The air was melancholy, for they had found no sign of their fox-demon friend. All was quiet. Food was served, but no one was eating (except Inuyasha). Inuyasha had been trying to stop thinking about Kouga for a while. When they had reached the demon, he didn't smell Shippo at all, no matter how many times Satsuki had said that he was there with her; Inuyasha couldn't smell him, but he caught the faint stench of wolf. Kouga had definitely been where they were that afternoon. But he told no one of the wolf trail. He didn't feel like messing with the bastard. Not when he was just reminded of times when Kikyo loved him…it was just him and Kikyo. Back before Naraku. _Naraku_, Inuyasha thought as his mind strayed to here and now. _If he gets his grubby hands on Shippo I'm gonna pulverize him._ Inuyasha tightened his grip on the bowl he was holding in an attempt to tone down his anger.

Kagome broke the heavy silence and said what the others were thinking. "Oh, I sure hope he's all right. It's awfully dark out there." She was the most depressed out of all of them. Shippo had been with her more than any other person. It was lonely not having a young fox with a heart of gold sitting on her shoulder. And if he wasn't there, he was always within sight…within reach. Now he was nowhere to be found. Kagome burst into tears.

Miroku looked up, Inuyasha hesitated with the next bite halfway to his mouth, and Sango was at Kagome's side in a heartbeat. Kagome buried her face into her best friend's shoulder. Tears welled up in Sango's eyes as she patted her back. "Don't worry, Kagome, I'm sure Shippo's all right. He's lived on his own before he met you, remember?"

"N-not for a l-long time. The Thunder B-Brothers had…had…killed his f-f-father recently before."

"Everything will be all right. Tomorrow Kirara and I will search for him. We'll find Shippo…I promise."

This last sentence caught Kagome's attention. She looked up into the taijiya's teary eyes and asked, "P-Promise?" Sango smiled and nodded. Kagome joined in with a tiny smile of her own. Suddenly the two girls had their arms wrapped around each other and were giggling.

Inuyasha stared with a bizarre expression. He looked at Miroku for any sign of explanation, but the perverted monk was goggling at Sango…specifically her butt. He looked as if he was going to pounce at any second.

Inuyasha cocked his head to one side. That seemed to pull Miroku out of his trance; he glanced at Inuyasha. The hanyou timed this moment. _I will never understand them_, he mouthed to Miroku. The monk sighed in agreement and looked toward Kirara, who mewed with glee. She knew exactly what was going on with her mistress; she knew her far too well to explain (not that she could). The cat jumped into Miroku's lap and purred to sleep as he gently stroked her fur.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kouga wasn't pleased. Sakira had brought a demon to the cave and had asked if she could keep him. Kouga blatantly refused, which led to much whining from Sakira.

"But, Kouga, he's injured. And he doesn't seem the fighting type."

"Absolutely not! We are not going to attend the injuries of every demon that we come across."

"But…but we didn't fight him, I _found_ him! Besides, he's just a little guy…a young fox demon. He looks so cute! Aw, Kouga, can't you have a heart for those in need!?"

"We…are not…keeping…a DEMON!"

"Ginta and Hakkaku are demons, but we kept them. And you're a demon!"

"We've been here long before you were born," Hakkaku jumped in. "And Kouga is the leader of a _demon WOLF_ tribe, _not_ a wolf-and-fox demon tribe."

"It's also not a wolf-demon-mortal tribe, now is it?" Sakira grinned sarcastically at Hakkaku. She used to like Hakkaku and hate Ginta, now it's the other way around. Turns out Hakkaku was the more bossy and picky one. Ginta is a little more on the shy side of life. Haki was now her least favorite one out of the three wolves. Hakkaku stared daggers at the little girl. Kouga broke their argument hastily.

"ALL RIGHT!!!" Sakira and Hakkaku suddenly froze. Hakkaku looked as though a piece of food was just stolen from him. Sakira looked as though her life's greatest wish was just about to come true at the sound of possible defeat. "Fine," Kouga sighed. "We can keep him ON ONE CONDITION!" Sakira looked as though it took all her will power not to whoop the air. Kouga sighed again and continued. "Once he is feeling well enough to take care of himself, you gotta let him go. _Understood_?" He emphasized the last word and turned toward Sakira as he said it. The young child's broad grin faded into a weary smile, but she nodded her reluctant approval. She wanted to keep him longer than that, but something told her it was unwise to continue. So she ran to the back of the cave to check on the little fox.

Hakkaku meanwhile turned on Kouga. "Hey, Kouga, what was the _deal_!? 'We can keep him until he gets better'. Sakira's feeling fine and you still haven't let her go! And you told us you were going to when she felt better. So what's holding you back?"

"Hakkaku, you fool, I'm keeping the two of them because they will attract Kagome. The kid's parents travel with her, as does that fox brat. Eventually she'll come looking for them. The girl will get back with her mommy and daddy, and the fox will be with his little clan. When that happens, Kagome will thank me for holding on to him for her." Kouga said just about half of his actual plan. The part about Shippo, he was going to do, however that wasn't the only reason why he was keeping him. Kouga let Sakira keep him at all because he was paying her back for saving his life. The part about eventually letting Sakira go was to decrease suspicions of going soft by allowing the child to tag along with them.

Ginta suddenly piped up, "But, Kouga, if Kagome somehow found that out, she might think that you had no heart for caring for others. And probably something about that being selfish."

It took everything in Kouga's power to hold back a grin. _They bought it. They really bought it._ He cleared his throat and said rather boldly, "Yeah, well, if no one tells her, then she won't find out." Ginta and Hakkaku exchanged apprehensive looks. Something was definitely different about their leader, but the pair couldn't quite figure out what.

Unfortunately for the trio, Sakira was back with the fox demon and had heard every word of the supposed-to-be-private conversation. Eyes flooding with tears she put a bunch of raw meat and some medicinal herbs from the village on a piece of cloth. Her teardrops splattered the cave floor and some on the new bundle she had tied together. She slid the small bag onto a stick and sat back to tone down her uncontrollable sobbing. _I thought he really cared. After all the trouble I went through to save his life. _I_ really cared about him; why doesn't he feel the same way? Well, if he thinks I'm getting in the way, then maybe it's for the best if I'm not around at all. _"Why, Kouga, why?"

She knew she couldn't stop crying. She just had to leave. The sooner she left, the sooner she could forget about the pain. So Sakira scooped up the still unconscious little fox demon and her bundle-on-a-stick and crawled once again through the secret exit near the back of the cave.

She didn't care if Kouga discovered that she'd gone out. As far as she was concerned, heprobably wouldn't care. He didn't care about her when he rescued her, so why would he care now? _I can't believe it. All this time I've been…lied to! _She emerged out the other end of the tunnel and ran off into the deep, dark bowels of the forest, still unable to stifle her sobs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kikyo strolled along the banks of the river, her thoughts still on Inuyasha. Reminiscing about how they met, Horai Island, his embrace on the dock, and their long talks on the shore those many, sunny days, one of them was a serious one involving Inuyasha's future. She was so young, so naïve, she trusted Inuyasha with the Shikon Jewel. It caused her heart so much pain that fateful day in the forest.

_Kikyo walked alone in a grassy clearing, clutching the Shikon Jewel loosely in her fingers. She heard a rustling behind her, and her heart told her it was Inuyasha; it felt light as a feather, yet pounding like loud drums. But this time he sounded in a hurry. It was as if he was running to see her, from something else, or to the jewel. Before she could turn to greet him, a white-hot pain seared her shoulder. Kikyo was partially paralyzed from the horror at what Inuyasha had dared. Her feet didn't want to move, however the ground was coming at her fast. She impacted the grass with a fragile _thump._ Kikyo lay there, trembling in shock, struggling to get up, and gasping for air to find a way to speak her fury. Inuyasha spoke before her._

"_Fool, I have no desire to become human."_

Traitor,_ Kikyo thought. _

Kikyo was jerked back to the present by the sound of splashing water. She looked upriver and saw Kagura washing her face in the water. The priestess was surprised she didn't sense the demonic aura she was giving off. _It does not do to dwell on the past,_ she thought.

Suddenly, Kikyo felt a hatred so powerful she feared there was no controlling it. Simply the mere sight of Kagura turned her blood cold. After all, Kagura was one of Naraku's creations, and Naraku was responsible for the separation of her and Inuyasha. Had he not interfered for his own selfish reasons, she and Inuyasha would be together, happy as can be. Though one question remained: Would Inuyasha be a demon or a human?

Kikyo strolled past Kagura without a word, feeling disgusted if she did anything as preposterous as look at her. Though Kikyo didn't say anything, she didn't go unspoken to.

"Priestess Kikyo," Kagura said in her cold, smooth voice. Kikyo halted but did not look at her.

"What business does a demon have with a priestess such as myself?"

"I was wondering that very same thing between you and Inuyasha…except he's a half-demon."

"That is none of your concern, Kagura," Kikyo said coldly.

"Perhaps," the sorceress said, "but at least you have relatively pleasing memories in your past. I have none." She sighed and rose to her feet, her eyes still glued to the water.

Kikyo turned toward her. _I guess not all demons wish their fate._ "My past consisted of dreams being ripped apart by Naraku. You do not know such pain."

Kagura narrowed her eyes. "My life has been nothing but Naraku. And because of him I have to chase down some brat that ran away a few days ago. Believe me, you have no idea." _Talk about annoying,_ she said under her breath. "I wish to rid my life of Naraku just as much as you do, I'm sure. But you have a better chance of it than I, for he controls my life with literally the palm of his hand. Your heart is not…" she hesitated before continuing, "not controlled by a monster."

Kikyo stared hard at her. _Kagura wishes Naraku dead. She has a reason to fear him. _"Tell me, do you wish to follow Hakudoshi? Follow him as a—"

"Hakudoshi deserves the same fate as Naraku," Kagura cried hastily. "He is a brat as well, and he does not deserve to boss me around. I was here before him. And Kanna does nothing…about any of this. Kohaku is pulling away from Naraku. And clearly Naraku knows. He has done nothing to stop this, but I bet he's making this all a part of his plan." _Naraku is a coward. _"I will fight for jewel shards, but plotting is not my game."

"If you wish to go on an anger strike, be my guest, but bear in mind if you wish to let it out on me you'd better keep your guard up because I will defend myself," Kikyo readied herself for anything that might happen. To her surprise, Kagura didn't move.

For the first time, the wind sorceress smiled. "Kikyo, I never knew you to be paranoid. You know, at first I thought you a lot like Sessomaru. Now I know you two to be nothing alike. You're much more cautious than he is." She sighed. "I guess you won't be getting these jewel shards anytime soon if you keep this up."

The priestess gasped. _She has shards?_ "How did you get shards?"

Kagura plucked a feather from her hair and tossed it up to the sky. "Too late, priestess," she cackled. "You should have trusted someone who hates Naraku."

She jumped on the now six-feet-long feather and floated up above the trees, leaving Kikyo alone on land, lost in her own thoughts. _Kagura wishes to destroy Naraku? Where did she get her shards? If she does not wish to follow Naraku or Hakudoshi, then how will she rid her life of both of them all on her own? What does this all mean? Is Kagura an extraordinary ally, or a deadly weapon?_


	8. Shippo's New Companion

**A/N: the last time I updated this story it was forEVER since I posted that chapter. I know it wasn't as good as the prologue, but u haven't read the good parts yet. Hope u enjoy this one. And thank you all who reviewed!!! U guys rock 8-) Now on w/ the story.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!!! I wish I did tho**

Shippo slowly opened his eyes. At first he couldn't tell if he had or not because of the thick darkness around him. _Where am I? _He sat up and examined his surroundings. Enormous trees, cool, moist earth, and…the smell of wolves. _Kouga's near. Kagome and Inuyasha must be around here somewhere, too. But where?_

The sound of sobbing caught the youkai's attention. He turned to his left and cautiously made his way to the source of the noise, careful not to make any sound, as he'd heard of demons who take forms of melancholy women to attract unwary men. Shippo scampered from tree to tree, trying to be subtle about his investigation. The nearer he crept, the younger the voice seemed to sound.

When he finally reached the woman, he gasped. _This woman looks no older than ten years old! Just like when I first saw Satsuki._ The demon women Shippo had seen looked the same age as Sango and Miroku. Also, the women were wearing conservatively colored kimonos. This girl's showed more of her legs than was considered ladylike. She was wearing shoes, unlike the others, and her hair was loosely tied back in a bun. What was more, she had a cloth on her right hand, as if concealing an injury. _This one just looks like a kid lost in the woods._ This girl had an air of human sadness, rather than demonic trickery.

Shippo came out from behind the trees and inched closer and closer toward her. She did nothing to lash out at him; she simply sat there crying her eyes out. Feet away, her facial features---or what he could see of them---came into view. Her hair looked as if it might extend to her waist if not tied up. Inches away…he could touch her if he wanted to. He could whisper something in her ear and she'd probably hear it perfectly.

"Um…ex…excuse me," he stammered.

His sudden break of the silence between them startled her. Her jump revealed a tear-stained face that shone in the moonlight. After she calmed down, she gazed at him with a blank expression. Now the silence was heavier. The only sounds heard were crickets chirping and the occasional owl hoot. The moment seemed to last for eternity. Then something happened that Shippo did not expect.

The girl's blank face turned into a beautiful smile. "It's good to see you well."

"Huh?" Shippo asked, taken aback by this response. _Well? Who is this girl? How can she know me when I've never seen her in my life?_

"I'm not sure what you were doing, but when I found you, you were down for the count. It's good to see that you're up and in good shape."

Shippo thought for a minute. The last thing he remembered seeing was the cloaked demon. Then he opened his eyes and was in a similar environment, which lead to his thinking Satsuki had left him lying there all day without getting Inuyasha or Kagome. Instead, this girl found him. "Uh…are you from the village?" he asked.

"Me?" the girl said. "No, I…I'm not…exactly sure…" and with that she burst into tears again.

Shippo's face went red. _Great, Shippo, you just HAD to mention where she came from._ "I…I didn't mean…"

"No… it's okay," she hiccupped. "It's just…I…I r-ran away from home. And now I d-d-don't know where to g-go. I'm looking for my m-m-mother and father, but I don't know where t-to find them."

"Oh, uh, maybe I could help. What are your parents like?" Shippo asked, though he felt the question to be a bit awkward.

Somehow this seemed to calm her down. "Honestly, I have no idea. All I have of them is this golden heart necklace that I've had for as long as I can remember."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The only sound to be heard at the wolf den was the large waterfall at the mouth. Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku were sound asleep, each lost in their dreams. The wolves around them were likewise settled down for the night. All was calm and all was quiet… until Kouga's dream took a sudden turn to a nightmare.

_Kouga was bruised up and had a gash on his cheek, but he felt no pain. He was standing over an unconscious Inuyasha, smirking in triumph. The half-demon was taken care of, but he still had to fight Kagura. He was surrounded by the corpses of his fallen comrades at the palace near to where they died. Hatred flowed through his veins like rapidly spreading poison._

_He heard a cackle behind him. Kouga spun around and saw Naraku grinning maliciously and holding the lifeless body of Sakira in his arms. "What did you do to her?" he demanded. Kouga wanted more than ever to lash out at Naraku, avenge him for his fallen comrades, for Sakira, and for Kagome. Somehow Kagome had gotten involved in fighting Naraku alone and had gotten herself fatally injured._

_Kouga called for Ginta and Hakkaku. No answer. He called again, this time louder. No answer. He scanned the area for his two most loyal comrades. When he finally caught sight of them, his blood turned cold._

_Ginta's face was covered with blood. His arm was bent at a strange angle, and he had more bruises on his body than stars in the sky. In his hand he held a jewel shard. An enormous gash ran from his left shoulder to his right leg._

_Hakkaku was almost unrecognizable. He had so many cuts on his face and arms it was a wonder he could still fight after receiving those. One of his eyes was not even in its socket; his right eye was simply a black, skeletal hole. A big gaping hole the size of his head was engraved in his abdomen. Hakkaku as well had a face smothered with blood._

_Kouga was shaking with anger. He wanted more than anything to charge at Naraku with everything in his power and beyond. He tried to move, but his feet seemed glued to the ground. _

"_NARAKU, YOU BASTARD!!!"_

Kouga sat bolt upright, panting. A nearby Hakkaku shifted in his sleep, sending an overwhelming wave of relief through the wolf prince's blood. To his right he spotted a snoring Ginta. Kouga sighed. This action caused a great disruption in his throat, creating an enormous yawn.

The pictures of his comrades lying there and bleeding to death still ran fresh in his mind. The sight of a cackling Naraku holding a severely wounded Sakira sent a chill down his spine and caused him to shake with anger. Come to think of it, he didn't know why he seemed so angry to see Sakira in that state. He didn't know her all that well…just a week. _Wait a minute…where _is_ she?_

Kouga looked around and saw no sign of Sakira. Before bed she always goes out to catch fish for breakfast. That was where she was while he was talking to Ginta and Hakkaku. At least, that's where he thought she was. Why would she not be here now? _Why is it I can just barely smell her?_ _If Naraku got a hold of her while I was around..._ Kouga resumed shaking with fury at the thought of Naraku getting away right under his very nose, but this time more violent trembles.

He could hold her scent. Kouga could smell her presence. She wasn't far, but she wasn't near the cave either. The wolf prince heaved himself to his feet and turned in the direction from which he could pick up her scent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know my PARENTS??!!!" screamed an ecstatic Sakira.

"Know them, I _travel_ with them. At least I was until I found myself out here in the woods," Shippo added matter-of-factly. "They told me that your name was going to be Sakira."

"Really? You must really know them then. Oh by the way, I found you lying on the forest floor. You looked like you'd been fighting something." Sakira wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked up at the sky, trying to remember the event.

"Ya, I was eating in the forest when I heard…something…" Her voice trailed off as the memories came back to her. _That happened just this afternoon. Wow, that seems like ages ago._ Sakira dropped her gaze to the cool, wet grass below her. The rock she sat upon was getting colder as the night's freezing temperatures loomed nearer. Her thoughts strayed to Kouga as she fidgeted with a stray section of hair from her loosely tied bun. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Sakira wondered if he had figured out that she'd run away. _Wouldn't matter if he did. He wouldn't look for me if his life depended on it. _She sighed. _Now that I've run away from shelter _again_, once more I'm stuck outside living the life of nomads. Great, Sakira, just great. Now what? Where are you gonna go?_

"Yeah." Shippo broke the silence and brought Sakira back to Earth. "I was fighting this strange demon. He was really creepy. His kimono was all black and you couldn't see his face 'cuz he had a hood on."

Shippo described his chat with Satsuki, how she led him to the demon, how he had gotten a hold of Shippo, a very brief and general description of what he saw, and the last thing he remembered before seeing Sakira. "Then I woke up and found myself out here. You know the rest."

Sakira considered his words. _The scream I heard. So he was fighting a demon. _"Shippo…it is Shippo, right?"

"Yeah."

"I think…" Sakira chose her words carefully. "that the demon… you were fighting…he might have been…"

"Might have been what?" Shippo was hanging onto her every word. _Just spit it out! _But before Sakira could add another word, a high-pitched growling pierced the air, and a giant worm emerged from the trees.

All color in Sakira's face vanished. _What do we do? Where do we go? The demon has probably already smelled us out by now. We'll have to fight…no matter how much I don't want to._

"D-don't worry, Sakira," Shippo stammered. "I-I'll get r-r-rid of the d-d-demon for you."

_Thanks?_ Sakira almost said out loud. She resisted the urge to unleash her wind tunnel, thinking this thing was poisonous. Thinking fast, she picked up a rock and hurled it at the worm.

No effect. Sakira hadn't expected anything anyway. "Shippo!" she cried above all the growling and snarling. "Do your fire thing!"

She saw him gulp, but he jumped up despite his apparent terror. "FOXFIRE!!!" The magical fire did in fact take away part of the skin. The two young fighters grinned, but the joy soon disappeared as new skin simply grew back. One thought was running through Shippo and Sakira at that moment: _We're doomed. _

Shippo reunited with Sakira and the two of them ran for cover behind a large rock. A tentacle that came out of nowhere rained down upon them and smashed the boulder to pieces. Right after they sprinted away, the demon sprayed venom at them. The two hastily dodged it and were a second away from being burned by it, but they found Sakira's rock and hid behind it in an attempt to hide from any other secret weapons the worm might hold. Sakira was right: this thing was poisonous.

"Any ideas?" she asked Shippo. When he shook his head, she moaned. _How are we going to get out of this one?_ She looked down at her bandaged right hand. _Oh, no. That's my last resort. Surely there must be other things we can use._

Shippo pulled out what looked like a spinning top and threw it at the demon. A useless move, for the worm bashed it aside with its head, or at least with what looked like a head. Both child and fox demon screamed at the loud _boom_ it made. They had nothing. Sakira couldn't use her wind tunnel, Shippo was out of any weapons he thought would be useful, and both of them had no ideas. _This is the end,_ Sakira thought. She crouched down and braced for impact as the worm's mouth rapidly approached her and Shippo.

Then suddenly the worm emitted a blood-curdling scream. Sakira flipped opened her squeezed-shut eyes and looked up. The worm was thrashing around dangerously close to her, but it seemed to be writhing in pain. _What happened? Why is it not attacking us?_ Shippo jumped up so he could peer over the top of the rock, unsure if he should trust full view of himself. Sakira did the same.

"NO HUMAN FOR _YOU_!!!" bellowed a gruff voice as the worm was apparently lifted in the air, allowing the stranger to be seen.

Sakira squealed with delight, for there stood Kouga, pulverizing the demon with more force than necessary. On each word he banged the worm on the ground.

"You---leave---her---_alone_!"

Hearing these words told Sakira one thing: she was wrong about him. Kouga did care for her. He came after her because he'd realized she was gone. He was…worried. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she did nothing to dry them out. _Oh, Kouga. You have no idea how much I admire you._

Shippo gasped beside her. "Kouga? Why's he here?"

At first it took her a while to reply, for she was basking in joy, relief, and exhaustion. Finally she inquired Shippo, "You know Kouga?"

Shippo gave her a puzzled expression that suddenly changed to one of understanding. "Yeah, I know him," he said. "He's in love with a girl I travel with. He's very persistent, as you probably tell," he gestured toward the unnecessary demon-beating.

_Shippo, you're just full of surprises._ Then it hit her. "Wait—are you talking about a girl named Kagome? So you travel with her, too?"

"Yeah. I met her and Inuyasha before I met your mom and dad. We've been friends ever since that fateful day." He looked up at the starry night sky. This was a bad move, for while he was in the middle of his daydream he got splashed with demon blood, much to the amusement of Sakira.

"So I see you're awake," Kouga's voice came from right next to Sakira. She turned around and saw his familiar ripped figure towering over her. He glanced down at her and smirked. "And I see you're okay," he whispered.

"Sakira grinned and said matter-of-factly, "Shippo woke up while I was out here."

"What were you doing out here so late? And why did you take him out with you?" the wolf prince gestured to the newly-recovered Shippo.

"I…uh…" She didn't want to tell him about what she had heard. Not when he had come back to rescue her. Sakira was frantically thinking of a response when Kouga suddenly stiffened up and fixed his eyes to the east. His knuckles turned ghostly white. Sakira watched him, then gazed in the direction he was, puzzled.

"I smell Naraku."

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**A/N: oo again w/ the dreams. Sry guys I just luv doing dreams. Plz R&R tell me wat u think. O and tell me: so u think kikyo & kagura r allies or enemies? Which one do u think they should end up being? Jus a little sumpin to think about while I bring up the next chapter ;-)**


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